My trans is whining on my silverado. My mechanic said its the planetary and posibly the torrent bearings. Any advice? Does anyone know of a super great trans shop in san Diego?
I would kind of like to take this oppertunity to upgrade my trans. what's the difference between a Allison and dura max trans.? What other options are there? Can it be done on my truck?

My trans is whining on my silverado. My mechanic said its the planetary and posibly the torrent bearings. Any advice?

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I've not heard of torrent bearings??????? The planetary bearings are a weak link in the 4L60E transmission. The heavy duty version of the 4L60E, is the 4L80E, one of the differences , between the transmissions, is the upgraded planetary gears.

Note that you actually have a 4L65e, not a 4L60e...the difference being that the 4L65 has an extra bolt at the top dead center of the bolt pattern (plus some negligible internal changes. That info will be important if you are changing it for another one.

I was recently in a similar position with my 2001 Z71. Although I do a lot of light duty towing (around 4-5000 lbs) through the mountains, I am otherwise not hard on the transmissions...I was never happy with how short of a life the 4L65e had. Second gear went out in the original at 76,000 miles...paid $1700 for a "reputable" local shop to replace it. Second blew a planetary gear at 89,000 miles (1000 miles past the 12k warranty)...paid a different shop $2500 to build a "heavy duty" transmission for it. That one ate the 3rd gear clutch at 205,000 miles, and I believe I did it right this time. I paid http://www.maddogtransmissions.com $1600 for their "stage 3" build with a new torque converter, and put it in myself. I was VERY happy with this company, and would definitely recommend them. I only have 5k on the new tranny, but it feels far better than any of the others...especially with a heavy load on it. I think it says a lot about their confidence in their product when they put a big "MadDog Transmissions" sticker on the top of the transmission...in a spot that it would only be seen if someone were removing the transmission.

Check out the videos he has explaining how he fixes the factory weaknesses. Even if you decide to go elsewhere, his videos will help you become a more educated consumer when talking to a local shop.

On a side note...I got it cheaper than their site's price because I did drive down to their shop to pick it up in person (along with dropping off my core). I chose the stage 2 shifting with a 2300 stall converter.